Finding a way home
by Sylphiel Maiden
Summary: Zel's familiar path of life gets turned upsidedown after he meets with a strange creature. Suddenly everything becomes unbeleivable, as he looks for a way to turn. (Formally "A way to turn")
1. New Hope

A way to turn

My first slayers fanfic. I do not own slayers, and I never will. Readers, please be nice when reviewing....

______________________________________

Once again, it was another starless night of fear. It has been that way since he had been cursed, but yet there was a chill in the air that he had never felt. The chimera was lost, lost in the labyrinth of his mind, in a game of spells and trickery. No one would ever understand the pain, the fear, the humiliation.

Zelgadiss was searching for a cure, for a way to leave behind his cursed body. And he would travel to the ends of the Earth to find it, and he almost has. Though, Zelgadiss worried, it might not be there. The more ground he covered, the more hope he lost, always out of reach. 

Walking down a stone path, Zel realised he had wandered off from Lina, Amelia, and Gourry. Not that he minded, he perferred to travel alone, even if it was... lonely. It reflected his life perfectly. 

But deep dpwn inside, he wished that they would notice him missing, then come to find him. Being by himself sometimes made him forget his troubles, but the echoes of loneliness would ring, and he would want to be surronded with friends. This was one of those moments.

"I'll wait." he thought, leaning against crates. Above Zel came a noise, causing him to jump into a battle stance. "Who's there?" He asked, calming down because he hadn't been striked. Although, whatever it was his eyesight didn't pick up, nor did he hear anything else. So Zelgadiss returned to his position of leaning against the crates, but this time he was more alert.

"I'm still here." Came a child's voice. Zel turned around and saw a little boy sitting ontop of the crates. "Oh, perfect. Come to annoy me, little kid?" Zel asked miserably. The boy glared and then jumped down, his landing not-so-graceful. "Don't be mean, Mr. Zelgadiss sir. I will only annoy you if you think of me as annoying."

Zelgadiss rolled his eyes. "I'll take that as a yes. Good bye, little kid. Go to bed. Go home." Though, a chill followed the child, like the one the chimera had felt earlier. Zel became suspicious as to what this kid really was, because he definatly was not human. A tail nicely drew attention to that point. 

The boy looked angry. "I don't have a home. Besides, just because you are miserable about your curse doesn't mean you should lash out on those who try to help you." That point hit Zelgadiss like a crashing wave. Does he lash out at his friends? Well, if he did, he had a reason. They didn't understand. They weren't cursed, they didn't have their life, their soul, taken from them

Then another point hit the chimera. "How do you know so much about me?" Zelgadiss demanded of the little boy. The little boy just grinned. "How do the stars know that they shine? How do the waters know that they are wet?" A riddle. Curses, thought Zel. 

"Tell me then, what it is that you want, kid." The chimera asked impatiently, glancing down the road to see if anyone was coming. "Kid" ran his fingers through his white hair. "I want to help you find your cure.I have information-" 

The poor boy found himself four feet off the ground in the hands of a very angry looking chimera. "You have information about my cure?! Tell me at once, kid, and do not lie to me." Zel hissed through his teeth. Kid rolled his eyes and slipped through Zel's hands as if he was a vapour. 

"Fine, Mr. Zelgadiss sir. Just don't touch me again or I won't tell." Kid said, stamping his foot. Zelgadiss promised, which pleased the boy. "I will tell you the answer then."

Zel silently urged the boy to say it quickly with his eyes. And finally, Kid started to speak.

"The passage to a cure is not our path to choose, fate and destiny must find you. But do not give up, for if you do, despair shall consume your soul, so you must be watching, waiting for it to knock at your door. Anxiety has become our nightmare, and weight of the world became our curse..." Kid's voice blended with the wind, and suddenly Zel found himself alone.

_The chill had left the air, and Zelgadiss saw a star shining in the sky._

Kid had left Zel with a riddle. And now he was gone. But yet a new spark of hope burned within Zelgadiss, one that would drive him to look for his cure, so that he could leave this cursed life behind, start anew.

"Mr.Zelgadiss!!" Without turning around, Zel knew who it was. He sweatdropped and turned to face Amelia. "Mr. Zelgadiss! Don't run off in the middle of the night like that again! I got so worried." Swallowing a harsh comment (not to lash out like Kid said he did) the chimera sweatdropped again.

"Sorry. I'm going to bed now. Good night, amelia." And Zel started to walk back to the inn.

Later Zel was laying in bed pondering Kid's riddle. "Not our path... to choose... waiting, watching..." He murmered to himself. 

Zel could swear he heard the wind singing. It sounded like Kid.

__

"I know we'll meet again.

Don't know when

Don't know where

But I know we'll meet again..."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

...The passage to a cure is not our path to choose, fate and destiny must find you. But if you give up, despair shall consume your soul, so you must be watching, waiting for it to knock at your door. Anxiety has become our nightmare, and weight of the world became our curse...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The end

~*~*~*~

I don't like one chapter stories myself, but I think it ends nicely....

~*~ Angel Kalyna


	2. Familiar Pattern

I've gotten some pretty good reviews. Thanks to all ^-^ And thanks for the suggestions about "Kid" n_n  
  
I don't own slayers. If I owned slayers, there would be world peace. Fat Chance.  
  
By The Way, I'm not a Zel/Amelia fan. Sorry "people who are"  
  
==============================================================  
  
Morning rushed to Zel like the wind. Time to face himself just like he always did, what he has done time and time again.   
  
Even though sunlight shone through the window, the morning was drab, depressing, and disheartning. Zelgadiss wondered why it was so gloomy even after getting that hint that his cure was out there, that there was still some hope in his heart.  
  
The chimera knew that his deep depression would not end in seconds just because there was a kid who knew something about his cure. But he did expect some difference, but the hope he had felt last night had abandoned him.  
  
"Something always happens." Zel wondered. How come he always had to be a kill-joy?   
  
He heard a thumping down the hall. "Lina" Thought Zel. Then he heard lighter footsteps and someone calling Lina. "Amelia." Zelgadiss guessed correctly. The chimera counted five seconds and he heard someone trying to catch up to the girls, calling and tumbling after them.  
  
"Gourry." The chimera tried to smile, but found that the joke was getting repetitive. Every single morning in an inn, it was the same pattern. And after getting into his usual attire, Zelgadiss went out for breakfast.  
  
When he got there, his party was stuffing their faces with food. Zelgadiss ordered his comfort food, coffee.  
  
After Lina was finished eating, she explained about a new quest for a magical goodie. Zel, of course, found no need for it, knowing the familiar pattern of their adventures.  
  
The rest of the day went without incident. The all-too familiar way things seemed to go fell into order. The same old, dreary, monotonous way of life. But the chimera waited for the evening, for "Kid" had said that they would meet again, under the starless night sky; and how cloudy it was, Zel guessed there would be no stars out that night.  
  
After setting up camp, Zelgadiss wandered a little bit.   
  
"Mr. Zelgadiss?" Inquired a small voice. "Where are you going?"   
  
Amelia. Thought Zelgadiss. Do you need to annoy me so? Turning to face the princess, he told her that he was only taking a short walk and would be back within the hour. Amelia was skeptical, but decided to trust him anyways.   
  
Alone once again, Zel waited. It would only be chance if the kid showed up again, but it never hurt to try. Long and hard he waited, but Kid never showed up.  
  
Discouraged, the chimera hung his head and slowly walked back to camp. But he didn't get far.  
  
"Waiting for someone?" A child's voice sounded. Zelgadiss turned to face Kid. Forcing a half-smile, Zel replied. "Oh, no one in particular, Kid." In return, Kid made a face, climbed the nearest tree and hung by his tail on the lowest branch.  
  
"Why do you keep on calling me 'Kid'?" He asked impatiently.  
  
The chimera crossed his arms and looked into the empty sky. "What, would you perfer me calling you son?" Zel sarcasticly countered.  
  
"NO!" Kid yelled, and Zelgadiss heard the wind rush. Before he could think he was on his back fingering the red mark upon his cheek that burned because he had been slapped. Zel stood up, slightly angry.   
  
Facing the very angry looking kid, the chimera wondered how fast Kid had to have moved in order that Zel could not see him. "Don't EVER call me son again! You are not my father, and nobody is my father! You can call me Xi-lei, and nothing else!" Kid said, know known to Zelgadiss as Xi-lei.  
  
Xi-lei climbed a different tree and away from Zel's gaze. Although, Zelgadiss repositioned himself to see Xi-lei's silhouette. And to the chimera's dismay, the unhuman-like boy was crying silent sobs.   
  
Not knowing how to handle emotional situations like this, Zelgadiss looked down and shuffled his feet. "I'm leaving now, Xi-lei." But mid-sentince, the wind picked up, and Xi-lei was gone.  
  
============================================================  
  
Ooooh... plot twist. Okay... Reviews? Please?  
  
~Angel Kalyna 


	3. Haunting Winds

============================================================  
  
A few notes that I forgot to put in when I last updated.......  
  
1. Thanks to Morinzilion who thought up Xi-lei's name! Read her stories! Then compliment them!  
  
2. I know I said that it was only going to be a one chapter story. I changed my mind, because I thought of a much better ending. Neener Neener.  
  
3. I'm going to try to update this as often as I can. It's my first dramatic-type fan story, and actually, it was quite good.  
  
4. Really big update. That's why it took me so long.  
  
Your probably waiting for me to stop blabbing and get on with the story, aren't you?  
  
Last thing: Don't own slayers. My lazy tomcat will swim to africa and eat an elephant before I own Slayers.   
  
============================================================   
  
The night sky was still empty, but getting colder. Zelgadiss could see his breath dance on the frosty air. But it wasn't just around him that was cold.  
  
Within himself, Zelgadiss was cold. The warmth and comfort that he had felt after Xi-lei had talked to him the other evening, infact that warmth that he was seeking in looking for Xi-lei, was not there. He was back to square one, feeling hopeless; although he did feel badly about making Xi-lei cry.   
  
Zel walked back slowly, subconsiencely rubbing the sore spot on his cheek. He would not bruise, because he was rock, but it stung. The blow went past the rock-like skin, peircing one of the nerves underneath. One thing that Zelgadiss knew for sure, Xi-lei had a powerful force held within him.  
  
A force too great for a mazoku to hold.  
  
"So Xi-lei isn't a mazoku, nor a human" Zel mumbled, but couldn't think of anything else. He was tired.  
  
Back at the camp, everyone was asleep, the fire was dying, and Gourry was snoring. Zel watched the fire for a moment, feeling it's cold warmth, and crawled under his blankets.   
  
For hours he tried to sleep, but could not sleep, for the sound of the wind kept him up. For the wind carried a voice, the voice of a young boy crying.  
  
  
  
"What a beeautiful day!" Amelia called. not far from where Zelgadiss slept.   
  
The Sun rays stretched out along his face, falling in between the crack of his eyelids. Opening his eyes slowly, he saw Lina sitting, leaning over a peice of paper. When she saw Zel moving, she turned slightly. "Mornin' sleepy head. It's almost noon." The chimera, half awake, thought she was joking, but how short Lina's shadow was didn't keep the time a secret for long. "Did I really sleep in that long?" He muttered to himself. "...could the sound of the wind really keep me up all night?..." Zel wondered in his mind.  
  
His thoughts were stopped short when Lina attempted conversation again. "Turns out that the plantinum locket was a wild goose chase after all."  
  
"Is that right." Zel mumbled, reaching for the insulated coffee pot that was near Lina. Amelia came by, happily singing, and gave Zelgadiss his tin mug. Same thing practicly every morning. The only strange thing was, Lina found out that the magical "goodie" was infact, afterall, a fake. Usually it took them until they ran into immeadiate danger before they realised what ever they were after had no value.  
  
The chimera sipped the coffee, filling his mouth with a smooth taste. He swished it around in his mouth for a moment, feeling it's horrible luke-warmness, it's watery flavor, and tasting alot of sugar. Knowingly, he looked at Amelia.  
  
"Do you like the coffee I made, Mr. Zelgadiss?" She asked him, smiling. Zelgadiss didn't answer, and Amelia got bored and went to talk to Gourry. When her back was turned he spat the coffee into a bucket that was coincidently beside him.  
  
Lina chuckled. "Amelia has no sense to making coffee. She thinks alot of sugar is a good thing, and she didn't let the water boil or let the coffee seep long enough." Turning back to the paper, she lowered her voice. "Zel, this map.... I can reconize the places.... But I can't read the writing. Could you help me?" Zelgadis took the map from her hands and looked at the squiggles inked onto the paper.   
  
"What makes you think I can read this?" Zel asked, staring at the lines.  
  
"I don't know. I just-"  
  
Zelgadiss stared hard at the page, and the squiggles changed into words, like one of those pictures that if you almost cross your eyes you see a 3D image. "Wait... maybe I can." He interupted Lina from her mumbling. "Listriil Village, create the sign in the Tiri Coffee Cafe`. Follow clue to next destination to get Gorant Journal." Zel blinked, and the words disappeared.  
  
"The sign?" Amelia asked, who was kneeling beside the chimera. She must have sat down while he was reading. Zelgadiss shrugged and replied "It didn't say anything else.".  
  
Gourry sat confused. "Why do we need to create a sign? I have lots of signs." He said, holding a sign that said 'Lina for Prez', a different one that said 'Pretzels please' and another one that said 'Almond flavored pocky Mmmm'  
  
Lina, clearly embarrassed by Gourry's stupidity, slapped herself on the forehead and let her hand slide down her face. "You idiot. A signal. Not a posterboard sign." She grumbled. Gourry asked what they were talking about, so Lina proceeded to pound on his head and told him exactly what they were talking about. Amelia told Lina off about being to violent, and the two girls started a catfight.  
  
Amid the chaos, Zelgadiss heard no voices. He turned the map over to see the completely clear back. Completely clear, until he stared at it for moment's time. He saw... the grains of wood, and on top a white circle with soft edges. The circle interlocked with a grey circle with harder edges. They clanged together and made a metal sound, and all around him he heard whispers, the slightest drumming of a drum, and the wind. He broke the magic that was clearly being played and averted his eyes up.  
  
"The signal is a white circle interlocking a grey circle on a table." Zelgadiss concluded, inturrupting the fight.  
  
They stared at him. Finally the silence was broken. "Oooh smarty pants" Gourry commented. Amelia turned to Lina. "How far is Listriil Village, Miss Lina?" She asked quietly, hoping not to start another fight. Lina took the map from Zelgadiss and traced her finger a short distance across the surface.   
  
"Two hours, maybe less, South-east." Lina factored.   
  
Zelgadiss's mind faded into a pattern. They needed to pack up, and leave for Listriil, nobody new why, they just felt they needed to. Zel picked an item up, put it in a back pack, then picked up another item. Then came the pattern of traveling somewhere. One step after another.   
  
After an hour of traveling, the group stopped and divided snack provisions. A small, yet just question came to the chimera's mind.   
  
"Lina?" He asked of the redhead. "Where did you get the map?" Lina looked at him puzzled. "Why?" She asked irrated from the lack of provisions that were left. Zelgadiss was in no mood to play games. "Lina! It is very important that you tell me where you got that map!" He said angerly, resisting the urge to shake her shoulders violently.  
  
The sorceress shrugged. "Okay okay! No need to have a cow!" She looked to the right with her eyes, and Zel followed her gaze. From the direction she was looking in, a sudden wind came up, tassling her hair, billowing his cloak. "Last night," She whispered. "The wind blew it into my hands. I don't know why I was heisitant to tell you all." Lina shivered, and pulled her own cloak closer to her body.  
  
"Oh!" Amelia exclaimed, shuddering. "The wind is getting very cold. Could we seek out shelter or move on or something?" She pleaded. Gourry also looked cold. Zelgadiss looked at his three traveling companions, all of them cold, and realised that he was to the near point of freezing himself.   
  
A sudden whispering, chanting voice came with the wind. It got louder, and Zel reconised it, the same chanting as he heard when he was looking at the map. "Every-" He tried saying, but the wind drowned out his voice. "Every-" Still he failed . "Everyone get moving! Don't listen to the voices!" Zelgadiss yelled, trying to move forwards in the wind that threatened to topple all of them over. They held their eyes shut, and ran blindly. Zelgadiss found himself on his knees, unable to move against the force that was no longer just an element.   
  
He squinted to see, and saw nothing but grey, a fast moving emptyness. The wind kept blowing, and the chimera rolled onto his back in defeat. "Stop" he rasped. And his world went blank.  
  
wandering. grey, never satisfied. drifting, drifting... How long had it been? Seconds? Minutes? Hours? Days? Millennia's? It seemed like enternity, yet it feels like no time has passed................  
  
"Come on, wake up, Zel......"  
  
Am I being called?  
  
"Wake up, wake up...."  
  
Yes, they are calling me.  
  
"Please, Zel, come on...."  
  
I can feel movement. What happened?   
  
"Zel... Zel..."  
  
Lina, Amelia and Gourry sat in the small house, watching the chimera. "Please, wake up." Lina called.   
  
"He must have taken quite a fall." A woman commented, the owner of the house that now harboured a sorceress, a princess, a swordsman, and a chimera. "Keep calling him. He can hear you, but he still can't leave his dreams yet. Here... I'll redo the bandages." She unwrapped the strips of blood-covered cloth from the back of Zelgadiss's head. Amelia turned away, not wanting to see the bleeding wound. After new bandages had been placed, Zelgadiss sighed, making everyone look at him concerned.  
  
"Is he going to wake up soon?" Gourry asked, tilting his head sideways. The woman nodded.   
  
Zelgadiss's eyes opened slowly. He heard voices, not haunted ones but familiar ones. A wooden cup was brought to his lips. He tried to lift his hands so that he could hold the cup, but his arms failed him. Surrendering to his own weakness, he drank from the cup that someone else was holding, destroying his dignity. He was then fed some bread.  
  
The person feeding him was someone he reconised, yet had never seen before. A woman with white hair, black eyes and dark skin, in about her mid thirties. Zel wanted to ask her of her name, but his throat was so dry, feeling as parched as a wanderer in the Sahara.   
  
What ever had been in that cup that he had drank from made him stronger, for soon he was sitting up, looking at familiar faces. "Zel!" Amelia smiled, glad to see her friend awake. Gourry sat down beside Zel and asked him how he was.   
  
"Confused, actually. Where am I?" Zel asked, looking at Lina. Lina in turn told Zelgadiss how they had gotten to where they were.   
  
"We had been running for a while when the wind died down. We all opened our eyes and realised that you were gone. So we back tracked our steps and found you unconsience and bleeding." Lina explained, and stopped so Amelia could shudder at the thought. "You apparently fell over and hit your head on a sharp rock. We all made an effort to find shelter and take you there, but we struggled to take you to the closest shelter we could find. Because, you know.... You aren't exactly the easiest person in the world to carry." Zelgadiss nodded, only finding that brought pain from the wound on his head.   
  
"But then Miss Shay-Ri found us." Amelia continued. "And she must be really strong or something because she carried you to her house, which is where we are now." Shay-Ri, the woman who had dressed Zel's wound and fed him earlier, waved off the attention. Zelgadiss looked at her with wary eyes.  
  
"Shay-Ri, eh?" The words, the sound felt so familiar, but he could not place it.  
  
After Zelgadiss was able to regain his composer, the sorceress, the princess, and the two swordsmen left the house, Shay-Ri waving them goodbye.   
  
Once at least five meters away, Amelia stated about how much luck they were to have Shay-Ri find them. Zelgadiss turned to see the small cabin and the woman once more but saw that nothing was there.  
  
============================================================   
  
*claps* This chapter didn't focus on Zelgadiss so much, which means that I couldn't use the big words that described Zel's soul. Don't hurt me.   
  
Please reveiw!   
  
~Kalyna  
  
============================================================ 


End file.
